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As School Board members, the start of a new school year is as exciting for all of us as it is for you. We want to take an opportunity to welcome you to a new school year and share some of what we will be focused on this year. With the implementation of California's new way of funding schools, and the new set of new academic standards, this will be a year of exciting transitions. We look forward to hearing from you and keeping you informed about our work. We plan to offer more opportunities for family and community engagement, because student success depends on all of us working together.
Our new superintendent, Dr. Donald Evans, officially joined us in July. His new energy, creative thinking, and expertise in curriculum and instruction, and in particular the new Common Core State Standards, come at the right time for Berkeley. He has already been rolling up his sleeves, and getting up to speed with all that we are doing for our students. Soon you will hear more about opportunities to meet him as he visits schools, attends community events, and holds town hall meetings to get to know our community.
The new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) for K-12 public education in California was approved by the legislature this summer. The formula provides base funding for each student by grade level and additional funds for every English learner, foster youth, or student from a low-income family. While this new formula is more equitable, and we think it is a good thing for students, overall California is still underfunding public education. Our current budget projections indicate that it will take several years before our schools return to the level of state funding we received in 2007-08, before the recession caused reductions in education funding. On a national level, most states have now adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), outlining what students need to know and be able to do at each grade level. This means that children across the nation will be taught and assessed on the same educational standards in order to better prepare them for college and career. Our teachers and principals have jumped in with enthusiasm and have shown their commitment to having these new standards support our students. They are working in teams to incorporate new curriculum and teaching materials, participating in workshops, and developing new lesson plans. The goal is to fully implement the Common Core in 2014-15.
The Common Core State Standards stress critical thinking, hands-on learning, more technology, and in-depth practice of the key skills students need at each grade level. There is a strong emphasis on analysis, problem solving, and on the importance of reading more non-fiction materials in all subject areas. Academic language helps students access and engage with rigorous course content, and will be taught in English as well as in Social Studies, and reinforced with vocabulary and writing in Science and Math. In Math, students will be expected to not only solve a problem, but also articulate both orally and in writing how they reached their solutions. This year at Back-to-School Night, every school will share more with families about the new standards. We encourage you to visit the school district website to find some helpful internet links for parents/guardians about the Common Core. In the coming months we will share more about current initiatives to strengthen our schools. You can look forward to more information on:
* Accelerated Academic Achievement of African American Students
* Master Plan for English Language Learners
* Consolidation of the Two Way Immersion program
* District-wide Safety Plan
* Smarter Balanced Assessments
* Cooking and Gardening
* Buildings and Facilities
As you see, there is much to work on together. Please join us at Board meetings, use our public comment period to offer input on our work, and reach out to us via email or in person at school and district events. You will also see our liaison schools listed next to our names below.
Once again, our warm welcome to new and returning families in this new school year!
Sincerely,
Karen Hemphill, School Board President
Josh Daniels, School Board Vice President
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, School Board Clerk
Judy Appel, School Board Director
Julie Sinai, School Board Director
Board Member Email Addresses & Liaison Schools:
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